True Confessions of a Hogwarts Professor
by bluebell3636
Summary: Right before Harry's first year at Hogwarts, Severus Snape is exceedingly annoyed to learn that there is to be a new Muggle Studies professor - and from America, no less. However, there is more to this woman than meets the eye...
1. Prologue

** ~Prologue ~**

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_Dear Cassandra, _

_Well, I must say, upon reading this work of yours, you have_ _done the story justice. Though I must also admit that I squirmed quite a bit at what my colleagues will think of that...title. It just screams tabloid. And you have certainly written no tabloid. Will the publisher really not budge on it? But my uneasiness with the title pales in comparison to what I feel when I think of all those snippets (albeit delicately treated) of my most personal life being published to all of England. At least I will be across the Atlantic when the book hits store shelves. _

_But before I go any further, I must express just how proud I am of you. Even when you were my student, I knew you had a rare ability to take the stuff of life and turn it into a good read. It was my pleasure to share my story with you, because I believe you deserve a good scoop with which to launch your career. I unreservedly trusted you not to turn it into sentimental goop where it was not. Of course, where it _was _sentimental goop, I also trusted you to make it believable. _

_Beyond your abilities, I knew that it was necessary that the _true_ story be told, not some gibberish thrown together by Ms. Rita Skeeter, whose main source for her latest blockbuster book seems to be a collection of bitter Death Eaters penned up in jail, supplemented by whatever she could glean from a friend of a friend of someone close to the tale, and the gaps filled in by simply made-up facts. For goodness sake. I cannot help but smile at what he would do if he knew what was being written about him. He surely knew that some personal revelations would come to light after he was gone, but for all the deception he found himself wrapped up in, he truly despised liars. It is necessary to tell the truth, if for no other reason than to honor the memory of my dear friend. _

_I can see you raising your eyebrow at that term. But yes, above everything else, he was my friend. He might have been other things at different times, and we will never know what we might have been, but as a whole, you, Cassandra, have captured the essence of our relationship, from the painfully awkward to the heartbreakingly sublime._

_When you and I last met, you shared some concerns, which you hoped I would address in this prologue-letter: 1) there is talk that I am only interested in making money off of my proximity to the story, and 2) that people will think this book is about something that it is not. _

_We both know that the former is laughable – the entire proceeds of this book are going to charity. As for the latter, that is a stickier query to answer. I suppose I would respond by stating that this story is _my _story. Not Harry Potter's, Albus Dumbledore's, or even Severus Snape's. It is mine. I could never presume to guess what another's experience in this horrible war was like. All I can state about it is what I shared with you. What I saw. What I experienced. What I thought and felt. You have told my story, no one else's. While I am not proud of all of it, I am proud that it is all honest. _

_Thank you again for your patience and perfectionism. Reading my life story was difficult, but in your capable hands I found it manageable. I hope that you do not wait too long before writing another book, and that your next is a work of fiction. I'm growing weary of reality. _

_Sincerely,_

_Aileen Klien _


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

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It was nearly eleven o'clock at night, and Aileen Klien felt like crashing on her futon and immediately falling asleep. But she knew her mother would worry if she went yet another day without checking in. Besides, there was some rather huge news that she'd been putting off sharing. So she pulled out her cell phone and dialed the familiar number.

"Hi, mom...yes, I'm fine....yep, we won! It was a tough case, but in the end, I knew the police wouldn't get away with parading our handcuffed guy past the sole witness...yeah, it doesn't hurt that he really was innocent, does it? And Don's closing argument was amazing, as usual."

They continued to share the little battles and victories that formed the stuff of their everyday life, when finally Aileen knew that she could not put if off any longer. She took a deep breath and had out with it.

"Mom? I've been offered a job in England, and I'm going to take it."

"_What?!" _

Aileen had to pull the phone away from her ear at her mother's shocked response. To be fair, this news was completely of the blue. Why would Aileen Klein, respected criminal defense attorney, who spent nearly a decade carving out a name for herself in Chicago, suddenly want to move to Europe? But now that she started down this road, Aileen knew she would have to finish explaining, and continued bravely on.

"I am going to be a teacher, mom. At a school for witches and wizards." She was met with a full 20 seconds silence. Aileen knew her muggle mother would have trouble understanding. Even so, the prolonged lack of response left Aileen beginning to think that the call had been cut off. But when her mother finally responded, it was slow and even. Aileen could almost hear her tsk-tsking under her breath.

"_Aileen. You're a lawyer, not a teacher_!"

"Yes, mom. I've noticed. But I've wanted to teach since I was 5, remember? And it turns out that now I have a chance. You know I'd never do it if it meant going back to school. Besides, the headmaster -

"yes, mom," she sighed with annoyance when her mother cut her off. "they call their principals headmasters over there. Anyway, he said the other teachers would help me glean a proper magical education while I'm there."

"_But _why_ move all the way to England? What about your life here?"_

Aileen paused momentarily before responding.

"There is nothing to keep me here."

Her response contained just a hint of bitterness, and her brow contracted as she thought back to her conversation with Don at the restaurant. He'd made it clear enough that _he _was completely comfortable with their relationship the way it was: strictly professional. This meant that although the two work-a-holics spent probably 80 hours a week together working on cases, although they worked together to maximize the advantage presented by her special "abilities," to the point that they could literally read each other's minds, although on countless occasions he made sure that she was eating proper meals and got home safely at night, this kind of odd professional intimacy was all that Aileen could ever hope for from Don.

She had made up her mind on the way home that she was done waiting around for her illustrious co-counsel to come around.

"Besides," She took a deep breath. "I will also be helping to catch Tom Riddle."

This time, the silence was expected. The two rarely mentioned that evil man's name. But once Aileen had said it, she knew her mother would not question her decision any further.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

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**

Aileen had to spend the next 20 minutes explaining how being a teacher at a school called Hogwarts was supposed to help catch the man who had shattered her life with just one flick of his wand, a man that had disappeared shortly afterward and for the past decade had been believed to be dead.

She told how almost a month ago, a government agent from Area 51 contacted her with the news that Riddle was believed to be alive, and that Aileen was a prime candidate for serving as liaison between the United States government and the headmaster of Hogwarts, a man named Albus Dumbledore. While at Hogwarts, she would have weekly contact with an agent from the U.S. Department of Magical Affairs in Roswell, New Mexico. She would report from a secret office at the school, sending messages and reports between the United States and this Dumbledore fellow. According to her contact in the government, Dumbledore was a man who was much more connected and forthcoming than the British Ministry of Magic, when it came to ferreting out Riddle's activities. Putting an agent at Hogwarts was the best way to keep the U.S. government in the loop.

When her mother was satisfied, or at least too tired to talk any more, Aileen hung up and did just what she'd been wanting to do since the moment she got home: collapse on the futon. She closed her eyes, but felt strangely awake, despite her long day in court and tiring round of Q & A with her mother.

Her thoughts flitted to what she hadn't bothered to mention during her conversation with her mother – her visit to England to meet the famed headmaster, tour the school, and see for herself if the staff truly was interested in helping a grown woman play catch-up with her magical education.

The school itself had been breathtaking. If Aileen were being honest with herself, she would have admitted that upon first sight of the ancient castle in the bright morning light, she knew right then and there that she was going to jump at any chance to spend a year or more in such a literally enchanted place.

However, she had been sobered by the incredibly intimidating staff and the alarmingly disarming headmaster. Her first interaction was with the latter. Upon reaching the castle grounds, Aileen was met by Professor Dumbledore himself. The man immediately launched into a variety of delightful topics, almost all of which, Aileen noted, had nothing to do with her employment at Hogwarts. The man alluded to all kinds of presumably magical things which were apparently as commonplace at Hogwarts as a television set would be in America. Of course, there were no television sets at Hogwarts. Dumbledore explained that the powerful spells guarding Hogwarts tend to make all muggle electronics go completely haywire, and hinted that this was one of the reasons that Aileen's liaison office would have to be kept a secret.

First, they toured the grounds, stopping at the groundskeeper Hagrid's cabin. She was completely unprepared to meet a giant, and was even more taken aback upon learning that the huge man was only _half _giant. But to her credit, she covered well, and almost immediately liked the kind man who used an umbrella instead of a wand, and offered to take her to visit his friend Aragog. However, upon a twinkly look from Dumbledore that had just the barest hint of edginess to it, Hagrid instead presented Aileen with a plate of cookies. She managed to get one down, despite the fact that had she not been told they were cookies, she would have mistaken them for small rocks.

After Hagrid's, the headmaster and Aileen went inside, and the woman, who had a soft spot for romantic-looking old castles, was fairly swept off her feet. Dumbledore took her from the top of the owlry, where Aileen was delighted to learn about owl post for the first time, to the great hall with its enchanted ceiling. Then a stop at the kitchens, where she saw a house-elf for the first time, and finally the dungeons, before ending up in Dumbledore's office.

Once settled, Dumbledore became more forthcoming about Aileen's future at Hogwarts. He outlined her duties as Muggle Studies teacher, her duties as liaison between Hogwarts and Area 51. He talked easily and naturally, as if she had the job already, which both alarmed and excited the woman. Finally, they addressed the 800-pound gorilla in the room.

"Ms. Klein, it is incredible to me that you have never had any formal schooling."

Aileen smiled. "On the contrary, sir. I have had more formal schooling than most. It's just that none of it has been magical."

At that moment, Aileen realized just how ridiculous it would be for anyone to hire a person such as herself as a _professor _in a school for witches and wizards. Surely there were plenty of people more qualified than her, candidates with at least some teaching background, or who had studied magic abroad for a period. Suddenly extremely self-conscious, she bravely tried her hand at damage control.

"As far as my magical abilities go, I have mastered basic control. My legimens and martial arts training has gotten me out of trouble more than once. Other than that, all I can say is I have not missed what I never had, and I am a very fast learner should you decide that I must learn anything beyond what I already know." She realized how lame this explanation was, even as she said it.

Dumbledore listened to her intently. He was not smiling, but his eyes were dancing. His next question took Aileen in a direction she was not expecting to go.

"Ms. Klein, your file indicates that you do not carry a wand. Is this true?"

"Well, I - yes, it's true." Aileen was mentally saying goodbye to whatever chances she had at coming to Hogwarts. She didn't even know how to use a wand. "In America, you have to have a special license to carry one. It's considered a concealed weapon. I never saw the need to apply."

The headmaster's eyebrow went up. "All the magic you know, then, is wandless?" Thankfully, (and incredibly, from Aileen's viewpoint), Dumbledore appeared to be impressed at this knowledge.

Aileen flushed. "Yes, sir."

"Well." Dumbledore's eyes were twinkling again. "Let us supply what you are lacking. Before this fall you will procure a wand. I suggest Ollivander's. It is the best place for wands, and the store is easy to locate in Diagon Alley, in London. You will be able to procure witch's robes and anything else you may require in Diagon Alley, as well. Once classes begin, you will meet with each professor here at Hogwarts once a week, unless you and the professor agree that more or less is needed. You are, ahem, a student with greater life experience, so your studies will be at an accelerated rate. Given your teaching responsibilities, I expect your workload will be rather demanding. Are you comfortable with this arrangement?"

Aileen met the headmaster's eyes, and instantly she knew that this man must know her current work schedule, that she would have absolutely no problem handling the worst these teachers could dish out, even if she worked full time during the day. She felt a thrill at the thought of being a teacher/spy, of learning completely new subjects, and of generally doing something completely different from the rut she'd gotten herself into in Chicago.

Yet, her conscience was pulling at her.

"I believe I could handle that schedule. But I must confess, coming here to Hogwarts and doing these things you ask of me would be a significant life change. Furthermore, asking your staff to take extra time to tutor me seems like it would be rather unfair to them. I have no training, either magical or as an educator. I cannot believe that there isn't somebody among the other candidates who would be better suited for this job."

At this, the headmaster chuckled. "Ms. Klein, at that, I must inform you that you are completely mistaken. You are not merely a potential candidate. You are _the _candidate."

Aileen's brow furrowed in confusion. "But how – "

"I contacted Area 51, Ms. Klein, because I detected within the Ministry a growing blindness to, ah, current developments where Voldemort is concerned. Upon meeting with your contact, Agent Smith, we agreed that it would be wise to set up a way for myself and the United States to communicate with greater ease. Seeing as Owl Post and the floo network do not work very well trans-atlantically, we decided to use Muggle means to communicate. This way, few in the Ministry, and certainly none of Voldemort's followers, would suspect it."

"But why me?"

At this question, Dumbledore looked at the ceiling, apparently deep in thought. His face betrayed just a hint of glee. It was as if he was debating whether to tell Aileen what surprise gift he knew she would be getting for Christmas.

"Ms. Klein. In high school, you were the North American legimency champion for 3 straight years, weren't you?"

"Yes..." Aileen could not see how this was relevant at all.

"Believe it or not, Ms. Klein, there are very few people like yourself. In fact, you are the only person like yourself, and that makes your willingness to come to Hogwarts absolutely necessary. You have spent years at Area 51, becoming deeply familiar with the inner workings of the U.S. Department of Magical Affairs, and this makes you highly qualified to be a government agent. While there are others who share your qualifications in that regard, Ms. Klein, you are the only one who is highly skilled at American-style legimency. And let us not forget that you have spent your entire life immersed in muggle culture, which would make you more than qualified to - "

"Wait. What?" Aileen started forward in her chair as she felt a zing of panic shoot through her. It was true that she provided plenty of legal services to magical folk who found themselves in trouble with the law, and was familiar with the special tribunals which were set up in Roswell. However, she tended to keep the fact that she read minds to herself as much as possible. She could see it turning into a big problem, should anyone related to her career learn of this skill of hers. For if questioned, Aileen would have to admit that despite her suspicions of it being incredibly unethical, she had spent the last 10 years reading the jury, the judge, her own clients. It was incredible how persuasive one could be when one appeared to anticipate the other side's arguments. Also, she justified as "time management" her practice of filtering out which of her clients were innocent, (and thus in her mind worth fighting for), and which ought to be prevailed upon to take a plea deal.

Dumbledore seemed to fail to notice Aileen's disquiet. "Your file mentions your legimency championships in passing, and upon a bit of investigation on my part, concerning this technique of yours, I believe that it is vital to our cause that you come to Hogwarts. The ultimate defeat of Voldemort could very well depend upon your agreeing to join us."

Aileen's face hardened at the name. She didn't know why these English played into that mind game of Riddle's, calling him by his assumed name.

"Then he really is still alive, is he?"

"I'm afraid it is so. However, I believe that American legimency and occlumency are areas wholly unknown to him. I've no doubt you can appreciate the benefit of a weapon in our arsenal that the enemy knows nothing about."

So that was it. Now everything was clear to Aileen. Her skill. Her learnable, teachable skill in legimency, was what Aileen Klein would bring to the table. She had been warm to the idea of coming to Hogwarts before, but now she had a duty to join Dumbledore's in this cause. If she could prevent from happening again the horrible tragedy that she herself had gone through, how could she say no?

Again her eyes met the headmaster's, and each of them spent a long moment, sizing each other up. She knew he was studying her hard, but she didn't mind because she was doing the same thing to him. Here was a man who very clearly had a plan, and obviously played his cards close. Why didn't he just tell her off the bat that he wanted her for her legimency skills? Yet the headmaster had a very old way about him, and she found herself trusting him. She hoped he knew what he was doing.

Aileen took a deep breath and blew it out slowly.

"When do I start?"


	4. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

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In her tiny little apartment in downtown Chicago, Aileen Klein laid sprawled on her old-yet-still-comfortable futon, making a mental list of the things she would have to do in the weeks ahead.

First, she would have to present her senior partner with her two weeks' notice. On second thought, why not give them a full month? The extra two weeks would certainly be a help to her firm, and she would still have a good chunk of time to take a nice vacation and get prepared for her dive into English magical society.

Then there would be Don to deal with. She knew that for all his care-free attitude, he was going to feel quite abandoned upon hearing that the all-star legal duo would now be a solo act. A part of her wanted to stay in Chicago, where she was comfortable, where she knew her neighbors and where life was fairly predictable. But she knew she could not go back on her word, once she had given it to Dumbledore.

As she was framing in her mind just how she would break the news to her long-time trial partner, her mind wandered, against her will, back to her visit to Hogwarts. The memory was less than comfortable.

After Aileen had agreed to sign on as a full-time Hogwarts employee, Dumbledore announced that he had scheduled a special lunch-time staff meeting, and suggested that they make their way to the staff lounge so she could meet her soon-to-be colleagues and tutors.

"Unfortunately," Dumbledore remarked while they were on their way, "you will not be able to meet everyone. Professor Kettleburn, who teaches Care of Magical Creatures, had an unfortunate incident with a Runespoor that he happened across in the Forbidden Forest. To avoid losing yet another limb, he had to be transferred to St. Mungo's hospital. He is expected to fully recover, however, and you will be able to meet him in the fall."

As they neared the staff lounge, he continued his thoughts aloud.

"I do not believe it would be harmful for you to give a little demonstration of your legimency abilities, Ms. Klein, when you - "

"I'm afraid I won't be able to do that, sir," Aileen cut him off as she did all people who made this sort of request. "It never turns out well when people are unsuspectingly subjected to that sort of thing. Especially if they've never even met me. I don't want to come off as a show-off." She smiled apologetically.

"Well." Dumbledore's demeanor suggested he knew something she did not. His response was cheerful. "I just wanted to make it clear to you that in the event you should feel the need to ah, show off a little, you have my wholehearted permission."

They entered the staff lounge. It was not unlike other rooms in the castle: vaulted ceilings, ancient-looking tapestries depicting historical events that Aileen certainly had never heard of, and rich woodwork. There was plenty of comfortable-looking furniture spread throughout the room, but the staff was gathered around a large table at the room's center.

Dumbledore paused upon entering, appearing to do a mental head count. Once he was satisfied that everyone was there, he began.

"Happy noontide, all. You know that I have called this meeting because we are fortunate enough to have our newest professor visiting, and it is always nice to meet new colleagues before the rush of fall classes beginning."

At that, Aileen heard a derisive snort. She looked to its source, and saw a black-robbed professor with a hooked nose, greasy black hair, and sallow skin. His demeanor suggested that he would have rather been doing anything other than go through the tedious motions of being introduced to a new co-worker. Aileen thought to herself that no stranger had ever looked at her with such deliberate, frosty disdain. It made her blood run cold, and she was more annoyed than she should have been. But she relegated those feelings to a small part in the back of her mind, and throughout the rest of the meeting, that small corner of her mind was employed devising a means of taking this arrogant wizard down a peg or two.

Aileen looked around at the rest of the staff. She had never seen such an odd group of people. On the other hand, she realized, she shouldn't have been surprised, given the enormous groundskeeper she had just met. She took mental notes of the most interesting-seeming professors as Dumbledore introduced them.

There was Professor Flitwick, a tiny, cheerful-looking man who looked like he had been born a professor. He was head of "Ravenclaw house," whatever that meant, and taught charms.

Next to him was Minerva McGonagall, a professor who looked rigidly fair but not unkind. Aileen got the distinct feeling that this woman was a cat person. McGonagall taught transfiguration, and was head of "Gryffindor".

Next came Sybill Trelawney, the divination professor, who, upon introduction, swept up to Aileen, took her hand, and dramatically announced, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Ms. Klein. My inner eye is telling me that you have enjoyed an incredibly fortuitous life, and that your time at Hogwarts will be incredibly fruitful."

Aileen hoped that her face did not betray any incredulity. She also hoped that Trelawney's prediction of Aileen's future wasn't as out there as her assessment of the past seemed to be. At any rate, she wasn't planning on holding her breath.

Then came the nasty man in black, whose name turned out to be Severus Snape. Aileen wondered what sort of awful parents would name their child _that_. He taught potions, and was head of Slytherin. Upon introduction, Aileen met the man's eyes, which were intense, yet also reminded her of tunnels. Her experience told her that this face was one whose expression was usually carefully controlled.

Professor Snape curled his lip in a sneer which portrayed poorly concealed and completely unwarranted dislike. _Clearly an_ _occlumens_, Aileen thought, _but we certainly still have a thing or to to learn, don't we,_ professor? _What a jerk. _

In response, Aileen flashed the teacher a bright, sunny, and (given Snape's reception of the woman) rather unsettling smile. It was the smile she always wore right before going for the kill while cross-examining a witness at trial.

But it was time to move on, for now.

Professor Sprout, the head of Hufflepuff, taught herbology. She had a kind way about her. In fact, the woman seemed as pleasant as the bat-like man sitting next to her seemed beastly. Even so, for all Professor Sprout's friendly demeanor, Aileen couldn't help but note that the woman had scooched her chair as far away from Professor Snape as possible. She immediately liked the woman.

At this point in the meeting, a ghost floated through the room, apologized for being late, and introduced himself as the History of Magic teacher, Professor Binns. Aileen's eyebrow went up at that. She hadn't believed in ghosts before, so this was an interesting development. She ignored the chills that shot up and down her spine. After all, no one else seemed to think having a dead man as a co-worker was out of the ordinary at all.

Finally, Dumbledore introduced Professor Quirrell, the current Muggle Studies professor, and announced that Aileen would be taking his place. Quirrell would now be teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts. This announcement had apparently not been made yet, for numerous members of the staff seemed mildly shocked. Aileen didn't think it would have been possible, but upon the news that Aileen would be teaching Muggle Studies, Professor Snape's opinion of his new colleague seemed to plummet even further.

Quirrell stood, ready to welcome his replacement and make a few remarks about his new position, but he had such a bad stutter that Dumbledore tactfully excused him after an awkward minute of "i-i-i-it...i—i--is mu-my p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-p-pleasure..."

"My most abject apologies, Quirinus. I must make a few more announcements before I leave for a meeting of the Ministry of Magic. The first is that although Ms. Klein is a highly capable witch who has extensive knowledge of muggle culture, she has never attended any sort of magical school. It is my request that you will all help her in any way she may require, in order to fill any areas of knowledge or practice in which she may be lacking. You will discover how much extra help is necessary as you acquaint yourselves with Ms. Klein."

The stillness of the room told Aileen that this _request _of Dumbledore's was the first any of the teachers had heard of tutoring their new colleague. The woman had to will herself not to flush with embarrassment. She would have much rather _not _have been around for the announcement that these busy teachers would also have to baby-sit a grown woman with no magical training. Aileen inwardly shuddered at what the thin-lipped McGonagall would do when she discovered that Aileen knew nothing at all about transfiguration. Dumbledore let the silence hang for a few moments, before wrapping up his little speech.

"And now, a final, completely unrelated announcement. Due to certain," Dumbledore paused a hairbreath, glancing at Snape, "_indiscretions_ among our 7th-year Slytherins, Madam Hooch will be requiring that all brooms be kept under lock and key in her office. Should a student require his or her broomstick, that student will have to sign it out. This policy will be in effect until the end of the year."

Dumbledore gave a little nod, and the group seemed to collectively understand that the formal meeting was adjourned. Teachers began to gather items and chat with one another. The headmaster turned to Aileen with a sprightly look, and observed, "Now, that was not so bad, was it?"

Aileen nearly rolled her eyes, but instead smiled. However, it seemed Dumbledore had spoken too soon. "May I have a word, headmaster?" The voice was low, and cold.

Aileen and said headmaster turned toward the source of the voice. Aileen, by habit, assumed a guileless, pleasant expression. She had long ago learned to conquer the urge to sink to her adversary's level. Especially when one looked at her as Severus Snape was now regarding her. His expression reminded her of a face one of her friends made once, after the family dog had gotten attacked by a skunk.

"Of course, Severus." Dumbledore said invitingly. "What is it?"

"Do you think it a good use of everyone's time, allowing Ms. Klein to obtain an education, outside of school hours, which she saw no need to pursue up to this point?" He paused to take in her decidedly muggle fashion. "Perhaps it would be best if _Ms. _Klein spent a year or more as a _student _before attempting to teach at a –" His soft voice was silky now, dripping with sarcasm. "a _wizarding _school." Everything about his demeanor made it clear that Snape had zeroed in on just the factor that made Aileen unsure about the whole business of coming to Hogwarts in the first place.

"On the contrary, Severus. I believe soon-to-be _Professor _Klein is incredibly qualified to teach at Hogwarts. Perhaps even you will learn a thing or two from her." It seemed as if Dumbledore already knew exactly how this conversation would go, but was merely playing along for formality's sake.

Snape, taking no notice, sneered. "I hardly think I would be interested in _her _area of expertise."

"Really." The headmaster turned to Aileen, and immediately she understood what Dumbledore had meant earlier in the hall, when he said a demonstration might be in order. With look of bemusement, he gave Aileen her cue.

"Ms. Klein?"

She'd been preparing for this for nearly the entire meeting, and began with relish.

"Your full name is Severus Tobias Snape," Aileen stated in a calm, deadly tone. She unflinchingly met his arrogant gaze with a piercing one of her own. She held her expression, watching hm quickly lose that obnoxious aura of self-importance, as she systematically laid out the information she had gathered. "Your birthday is January 9th. Your mother was a witch, and your father was a muggle. You have no siblings, and both your parents have been dead for years. You have been teaching here at Hogwarts for nearly a decade."

This was only her warm-up. Although the potions professor already seemed fairly shocked at her sudden knowledge, she knew that he would later try and convince himself that she had merely done her research on his background. Aileen continued to bore into his head with her eyes, but allowed herself small half-smile before continuing on.

"I am not sure what kedgeree is, but you ate it for breakfast. Apparently rice is involved, because you thought itwas undercooked." Aileen then shook her head in a mock-scolding manner, ignoring the fact that Snape's eyes were now wide, and his face was draining of color. "And you did _not _brush your teeth this morning. Dangerous behavior for someone who hates the dentist. Tsk, tsk, tsk."

At this point, Professor Snape's mouth was slightly agog. Dumbledore seemed pleased, so Aileen continued. "_You_ are fairly certain that Muggle Studies is a worthless subject to begin with, and it adds insult to injury that Professor Dumbledore would hire someone who needs, oh, how did you put it? 'Hand-holding in the _real _magical arts.' That's it.

"And what was that assessment you made of my character? Oh, yes, I definitely remember _that_. You think I'm an 'inane, brainless, muggle-loving, American do-gooder.' Oh, dear. Not very nice at all. However, I _am _flattered that you consider my appearance 'fair enough.'"

Aileen paused with satisfaction. Her words were clearly having the intended effect. As she spoke, she saw Professor Snape's eyes flash in alarm toward Quirrell, the current Muggle Studies professor. And when she shared aloud Snape's own opinion of his newest colleague, his sallow cheeks immediately flushed in embarrassment.

"Shall I continue, Professor Snape?" Aileen assumed a slighly bored expression, to underline just how easy it was for her to probe the man's brain. "Your favorite color is green. Your best friend growing up was named –"

"That is enough, Ms. Klein." Professor Dumbledore cut Aileen off before she could continue. This was well enough, because she was just about out of things to say, anyway, and Snape looked about ready to pull his wand. 

_That'll teach you to judge a book by its cover_, Aileen thought, observing with satisfaction the havoc she wreaked upon the arrogant potions master.

"So." Dumbledore's gaze was unbending. "As you can see, Severus, it would appear that Aileen is an expert at a special form of legimency." Something unspoken appeared to pass between the two men, and Snape's look of utter horror suggested to her that he knew something she did not. He glared at Aileen one last time, before sweeping out of the room.


	5. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

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Severus Snape knew that circumstances had better change – and quickly. If they didn't, he was going to have to do something drastic. The weeks since the start of term had been the most horrible since his tenure at Hogwarts began. Not only did he have to see Harry Potter on a daily basis (and Potter was every bit as arrogant as his father was), but that infuriating muggle studies professor seemed to be making it her pathetic life's goal to torment him to no end.

In fact, from the moment she set her miserable little foot on the train to Hogwarts, she had been worming her way into Severus' brain, then mocking him with what she found. She was everywhere - in the dining hall, on his way to class, in the staff lounge – there seemed to be no escaping her. And she never wasted any time sharing some new fact about Severus that she had no earthly business knowing.

He had absolutely no idea what she was doing was even called, much less how she was doing it. Thus, the poor professor had no idea how to ward himself against such attacks. The woman did not appear to need eye-contact, or even to be in the same room as him. Even more unsettling, neither the Hogwarts library, nor his own collection on occlumency, offered any guidance on the subject.

Thankfully, Miss Klein's "little parlor trick" was only good for garnering comparatively benign facts. Such as the third person he had talked to that day, or the last time he had shampooed his hair. Even so, the banalities of his daily life were enough of an invasion of privacy to be quite upsetting. Severus lived in constant fear that one day, the woman might tire of reciting his latest reading material or teasing him for his dislike of the 11-year-old Potter, and use her alarming talent to delve deeper into his past. Severus tried not to think about _that. _

Regarding his new colleague, Professor Snape's general conclusion was that she, at best, was two-faced, vain, a know-it-all, and rather sadistic. On a more serious level, he suspected she was some sort of spy. Although the potions teacher seemed to be the only one who Klein saw fit to favor with constant demonstrations of her...inexhaustible skill, and it wouldn't really have surprised Severus to hear that she was doing so under Dumbledore's orders, there was no guarantee that Klein wasn't reading every mind she came across. Who knew what kind of secrets she could be gathering, or who she could be sharing them with?

Yet she appeared to be ingratiating herself with every person she met. Flitwick couldn't shut his mouth about how quickly "that dear girl" was progressing in Charms, and the rest of the staff seemed to feel the same way. Even Binns remarked that except for himself, the Magical History professor had never met any individual as interested in the subject as she.

Students were bewitched by their new professor as well. One day, in the middle of potions, he caught one of them (a Slytherin, no less!) furtively perusing some piece of muggle literature. The squirming fourth-year had finally admitted that the book was for Professor Klein's class. Severus was so shocked, he completely forgot to properly mock the student for being a muggle-lover before he took twenty-five points from Slytherin. (The Gryffindors in the room were shocked – never had anyone seen Snape take that many points from his own house.)

Severus made every effort he could think of to get rid of this woman and her meddling ways. He refused to speak to her about beginning potions lessons, though he was fairly certain that the woman was completely ignorant in that area. He made every attempt to avoid her, and in the often-yet-unfortunate event that she found him anyway, he was as rude as he could possibly be without getting himself into trouble. Yet nothing he did seemed to faze her. She was always friendly, always wearing that blasted amused expression with the arched eyebrows, always turning his own insults against him, and always, always subtly letting him know that his mind was an open book to her.

As if things could not get worse for the unfortunate potions master, Severus found, to his horror, that the more he tried to put Professor Klein out of his mind, the more he seemed to obsess over her. _Not_ about how to avoid her, or determine what manner of occlumency she was practicing, or some other practical, acceptable thought exercise. Rather, the man would find himself mulling over their daily exchanges of repartee, and how the graceful little movements she made before, during, and after such meetings made him feel slightly intoxicated.

Or about her long, blonde hair, which she sometimes pulled back in an artfully elaborate style, and sometimes let fall down her back in shiny cascades. Also, she had a habit of looking him, full in the face, with an expression he could not identify. She would hold his gaze with with those intelligent, piercing blue eyes, and after she'd gone, Severus would realize that at some point during their banter, he had stopped breathing.

Ridiculous as it seemed, he even found himself thinking about her clothes. Before coming to Hogwarts, Miss Klein had procured for herself a wardrobe that (unlike the odd get-up she wore the first time she came to visit) didn't make her obviously muggle background stand out like a sore thumb. Severus had overheard two 6th years, rumoring during class about how she had specially hired Madam Malkin to make sure she did not look like an idiot when she showed up to teach in the fall. Accordingly, Professor Klein's wardrobe was understated, yet stylish, and certainly accentuated her hour-glass figure...

_Stop it, _Severus berated himself. There was absolutely no reason for him to be at all interested in anyone's clothes, least of all that obnoxious, conceited woman, who might also be part-Veela, now that he thought about it...besides, he was in the library, and she was all the way across the castle in the dining hall...

_............................................._

At dinner, the increasingly-disconcerting woman had actually _talked _to him, while he was trying to eat a meal in peace. This was especially incredible, as Professor Klein's place at the table was three spots down from his, making conversation practically impossible. Klein circumvented this obstacle by proceeding to converse _without speaking. _

Severus had just taken a bite of his roast, when he distinctly heard a crystalline voice with an American accent, just the voice he had come to dread over the past few weeks.

"How is it?"

Severus' head jerked toward where the voice was supposed to be coming from, though he couldn't rightly say that it had, in fact, come from three spots down. He saw Professor Klein eyeing the meat plate, apparently trying to decide if she wanted a helping.

"It looks like it might be cooked a bit rare for me. How does it taste?" Severus heard her loud and clear, despite the fact that she did not appear to move her lips at all.

After a moment, Severus heard the voice again. He couldn't read the tone. "Well? Are you going to answer me or not?"

"Unbelievable," Severus thought to himself. "Does she expect me to holler down the table? Flitwick and Quirrell will think I've lost my mind."

"No," the tone was now deliberate, as if she were explaining something to a small child. "I expect you to respond in kind. Use your mind. This is no different from what we go through every day, except today you are conscious of it."

Severus continued to stare down the table in disbelief.

"You should probably get back to your food. Professor Quirrell seems to believe you are eyeing him."

Severus noticed for the first time that Quirrell did in fact look quite uncomfortable, and turned back to his plate. "How – is this possible?" he thought.

If he thought he was about to get an easy explanation from Aileen, he was sorely mistaken. The only response he heard was low, melodious laughter. On the sly, he sneaked a glance toward the muggle studies teacher, but Klein was turned the other way, deep in conversation with Pomona Sprout. Quirrell, on the other hand, still seemed rather more twitchy than usual.

"I know you must have the attention span of a goldfish, Miss Klein," Snape thought, "but if I may prevail upon you to tear yourself away from your undoubtedly _fascinating _conversation with Professor Sprout, and finish the one you started with me, I would be deeply obliged." Even as he did it, he wondered if it would work. Then he wondered if she'd only be able to hear those thoughts which he addressed to her, or if the know-it-all was also privy to his wondering, as well.

"Oh, let me assure you," Her sick-sweet tone counter-balanced his own perfectly. "I have no problem dealing with...you, even in the midst of my truly fascinating discussion with Pomona. Tell me, professor, have you even _looked _in the library for a book on occlumency?"

"There are no books in the occlumency section that come anywhere near describing..._this!_"

"Tut, tut... And I got the impression you were mildly intelligent. My mistake. I will go easier on you in the future. In the meantime, perhaps you should try your hand at something a bit less...taxing on your little brain. I hear learning a new language serves to sharpen one's mental power. Perhaps you should take up, oh, I don't know...how about Spanish? And leave the hard stuff to us...'know-it-alls.'"

Drat – she must have been able to hear _all_ his thoughts, earlier. But something about the know-it-all's tone tipped Severus off that her words were significant – she was giving him a clue. But that small clue was all he would get, for the time being.

"If you'll excuse me, Professor, I think I will try the beef after all..."

Severus felt something pop, in the air or in his head he couldn't tell, and afterward he felt oddly empty. Apparently his thoughts were all his own again, but he wasn't making any bets. He threw his napkin onto the table and left his half-eaten dinner behind. He was headed for the library.


	6. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

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"Overall, I'd say I made the right decision. I'm havin' a ball over here!"

Aileen was in her secret office at Hogwarts, on her old, faithful futon, having a long-anticipated phone conversation with her best friend Betsy. The two had first discussed Betsy's family: how the kids were doing, what they did during their yearly end-of-the-summer trek to Alaska, and when her lawyer husband was going to get off of work again, so the family could make the journey from St. Louis to visit Aileen in Europe.

Next, the talk turned to Aileen's own recent adventures. Betsy and her family were muggles, but Aileen had long-ago applied for (and been granted) permission to disclose her magical status to these friends, so the two grown-ups in the family were familiar with Aileen's more "eccentric side," as they liked to call it. Aileen routinely told Betsy's kids that she was a witch, but seeing as she usually winked when she said it, and never actually performed any magic in front of them, they believed her magical about as much as they believed in the Easter Bunny.

Before coming to Hogwarts, Betsy had gotten to hear all about Aileen's new job, and had even helped her come up with some lesson plans. Now, Aileen was calling Betsy to catch up and tell her how everything was playing out.

"Oh, Betsy, this whole culture is completely foreign to me. It's as if I'd been dropped off in the middle of Kyrgyzstan at Christmastime." She went on to regale her friend with tales of all sorts of magical creatures and customs, the existence of which neither of them had been previously aware.

"And this school is magnificent! The main hall is lit by thousands of candles that float above the tables, and the ceiling is bewitched to look like the sky outside! I've never seen anything like it. But on the other hand, sometimes I find myself wondering what kind of place _is _this? Kids running around mostly unsupervised at all hours...there was a fight last week, and this one kid actually hexed the other kid's nose off!

"Oh, no!" Betsy exclaimed, horrified. "What happened?"

"Not much, to either of them" Aileen's replied. "The nose-less student got sent to the hospital wing, and he was fixed up good as new. I guess since there wasn't any 'serious' damage, they both got off easy - the teacher who broke up the fight took 20 points from each kid's house, which to me sounds like no punishment at all." This statement led to an explanation of the house-based arrangement of the school, and some speculation as to what effect sorting (and the stereotypes which went along with each house) had on the development of young personalities.

"Also, apparently magical England believes that if you are an adult that is good at a subject, you must be good at teaching it...there's not a single professor here who has any teacher training! And I was worried that my own lack of a certificate would handicap me..." Hogwarts' newest professor rolled her eyes.

But Aileen eventually admitted that she found the whole place utterly enchanting and was certainly learning plenty from her colleagues, even if they didn't have a clue about what Aileen would have called "conventional" methods of teaching. (These she had gotten a crash course on over the summer from some of her friends who did it for a living). At Hogwarts, she had been taking lessons with all of the professors ("except for the potions guy, but we'll get to _that _story later..."), and catching on admirably. A few had even commented that she would probably be able to stop formal lessons by Christmas.

On her free days, she could aparate to pretty much anywhere in Europe. She had started with Italy, and had only gotten through Milan so far. She hadn't expected it to take so long, but Aileen had discovered that Milan not only had a breathtaking cathedral, many priceless works of art, and was Europe's muggle fashion-capital, but the city also had a vibrant wizarding fashion scene as well. Betsy had an eye for fashion herself, and was very interested to hear all about it.

"...I'm pretty much loving my whole situation," Aileen concluded. "This castle is gorgeous, I'm busy doing all sorts of new things, and feel like I'm part of something important. I'm content."

Aileen paused, bracing herself for the necessary self-analysis she knew would ensue if she broached the one part of her new life that was quickly turning into an unsolvable problem.

"Except...for one, small thing. I seem to have gotten myself into a...a situation with this other teacher."

"Finally! The potions guy? I thought you'd never get to him!" Betsy had a way of detecting when Aileen was refraining from talking about a subject. She also had a nose for when the topic was potentially rather juicy.

Aileen sighed. "Yeah..._that _guy. The same one I let have it when I visited Hogwarts last May."

"I'm still a little shocked about that," Betsy stated reprovingly. "You don't read minds unless you have to, and I've _never _seen you rub anyone's nose in it."

"Oh, geez. You're gonna make me feel really guilty after I tell you this. It seems I just can't help myself when it comes to that man..."

Aileen went on to explain everything that had happened since the start of term – how Snape had taken every possible opportunity to mock her clothes, her accent, her area of expertise; how Dumbledore had told her it was necessary that Snape in particular learn American-style occlumency; and how she had taken the directive as a license to torment the potions professor with her special brand of legimency ever since.

Betsy truly was appalled at that, but Aileen quickly assured her friend that she only used her powers to garner impersonal information, and ended her tale with a self-justifying tirade.

"You'd want to take him down a peg or two too, Betsy, if you ever met him! He's the most disagreeable person I've ever met in my entire life...you _know _that's saying something...and the stories my students tell! If we were in America, I'm pretty sure he'd not only lose his teaching license, but he'd be in jail, too...though I guess that's pretty much the case with all the teachers here...but anyway, if anybody has it coming, it's Snape. Plus, he – he refuses to teach me potions!"

"Oh, really, Aileen...it sounds like you rather fancy him to me.." Betsy's voice had a teasing tone that her friend immediately recognized.

"Give me a break, Betsy!" Aileen laughed. "You say that about every nasty person I whine about. But then again..." Aileen turned thoughtful, "I have to admit, he _is_ rather fascinating. I look him right in the face, and it's like a mask - he's probably better at European Occlumency than I am. And he's always trying so valiantly to protect himself from my attacks. To be honest, the fact that he's so desperate to keep me out stops me from going very far at all.

"He has no friends," she continued, "at least that I've been able to identify. But it's as if the fact that everyone hates him _inflates _his ego, of all things. He just seeps self-confidence, though not in a pathetic, desperate way, like some misfits. He's comfortable in his own skin, and actually quite witty. I see a lot of intelligence in his face. But he never seems happy - even when he smiles."

Aileen remembered another significant piece of information. "Oh, man. I almost forgot. There's more. I read his file_..._that's right, the United States finds him a person of interest...turns out, our charming potions professor used to work for everyone's favorite criminal." Aileen's tone soured a bit, as it always did when referring to the man these English called Lord Voldemort.

When Betsy spoke, it was as if she no longer thought that Aileen's little adventure to England was such a good idea. "A former accomplice of - of Tom Riddle? Is now your co-worker? Are you serious?"

"He joined our side just before Riddle botched the Potter murders. Doesn't say why, though. Only that Dumbledore swears up and down he can be trusted."

"But can _you _be trusted? I mean - you know what Riddle did - and that man helped him. Don't act like that doesn't bother you."

"His file doesn't say how deep in he was with Riddle." Aileen furrowed her brow, trying to pinpoint what it was about this man, this man with such darkness about him, that made her believe he was no longer a dark wizard.

"However bad he once was, something happened to him that made him see the light. I used to come across clients like him - people who had done terrible, terrible things. Afterward they felt so guilty, like they were no longer fit for human kindness, and they'd lash out...I think he's so misanthropic because he thinks he _deserves _everyone's disapproval.

"Or, he could be horrible because he's still evil..."

"Possibly," Aileen admitted. "But Dumbledore trusts him, and that man knows things. Still, I guess we'll never know for sure, until I make peace with the man and get his life story." Aileen said it as if she were relishing the thought of a new challenge. "Tormenting him with mind games was getting old, anyway."

"Good luck with that," Betsy snorted. "After breaking your own rule and 'violating the sanctity of his mind,' and humiliating him and all that..." Betsy's tone turned facetious. "I wonder, now that you've started down this mind-reading road to perdition, maybe you'll just forget the whole friendship thing and satisfy your curiosity the easy way."

"Betsy! Do you really think so low of me? Messing around is one thing, but I do have some sense of morality_._" Aileen shook her head at the phone. "I won't invade his past, unless he wants me to," she declared. Then she realized how difficult, if not impossible, it would be for her to make Snape believe that.

"Hm. I guess I royally screwed up, didn't I?" she concluded sadly. "He pretty much loathes me by now...I doubt he'll ever even teach me to brew a decent potion, much less let me know what's going on behind those coal-black eyes of his..." Her voice trailed off.

"Ruh-roh, Aileen. Now it sounds like you really do have a crush on this guy." Betsy's voice, though still light, contained just a bit less of the teasing quality it had earlier.

Aileen smiled. "A crush? No, I don't think so. He's just...interesting, that's all. Even if Dumbledore wasn't furiously vouching for the man, I wouldn't believe for a second that he's as evil as he projects himself to be. Also, I _am_ pretty disappointed with my own behavior, and I think I ought to try and make things right. But he'll probably think I'm a horrible person for all time, now..."

"Well," Betsy offered, "Maybe it'll help if you explain how your telepathy works. You're supposed to teach him anyway, aren't you?"

Another sigh. "Right. I should probably be a bit more forthcoming with that, though he _is _doing pretty well so far, with the snippets I've been feeding him..."

Aileen explained how she had opened the connection with the potions professor in a way that would allow him to be conscious of it, and about the little "Spanish" hint she had dropped.

"Unfortunately, he didn't get it. He thought Spain, not South America. Which is understandable, I _guess..." _Aileen's tone suggested that it was anything but.

"Aileen, there is no way on earth I would have any idea what you were talking about, and I _know_ about American-style Legimency. I think the man deserves a little more credit than you're giving him."

"Yeah, I suppose. But come on. I'm from America, there are way more Spanish-speakers on my side of the Atlantic, and if not Spain, where else? Anywho, once I got him on the right continent, he's been doing quite admirably. He can usually tell once I've got him now...though he's still powerless to stop me. And still as rude as ever. But you know, baby steps."

Aileen went on to tell about how, after a quick survey of the Hogwarts library holdings related to South America, Snape had found (as Aileen knew he would) a number of volumes on a fairly recently developed technique from Argentina, called _telepatía americana. _ These books told how the method was at first primarily used as a means of two-way communication. However, it wasn't long before a group of enterprising Canadians began using it as a mind-reading device. The practice of telepathic mind-reading (and the rather more refined art of blocking such attempts) spread throughout North and South America. Hence, _telepatía americana _came to be commonly known as American-style legimency/occlumency.

"You sure sent him on a wild enough goose chase!" Betsy observed. "Cryptic hints, having to teach himself...that's kind of ridiculous, Aileen. He can already tell when you're in his head? If he's anywhere near as handsome as he is quick on the uptake, you really are in trouble."

Aileen smirked at the thought of Snape's beady black eyes, the curtains of jet black hair that fell about his face, and his over-large nose. "Oh, I think I'm safe. He's not horribly ugly or anything like that, but he definitely has an odd look about him."

Betsy did not mention the fact that Aileen had, years ago, said the exact same thing about a different man. And that man had turned out to be her soul mate.

Instead, she smiled, saying, "Be sure to let me know how the situation turns out, all right?"


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

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It was October. The weather had turned cool, but was still very fine, and the evenings were perfect for curling up in front of the fire with a book. This is exactly what Aileen had taken to doing. She preferred the library over her own rooms, because it afforded her easier access to the books, and students would come keep her company, asking questions here or there, or telling her stories about Hogwarts or their families.

Tonight, however, Aileen had sat a bit more out of the way than usual, and hadn't been approached by anyone all evening. For a little while though, there was a group of students sitting directly in her line of sight. As they huddled together whispering, a burst of laughter would occasionally reach Aileen's ears, and she was reminded of days long ago. Back then, she'd loved autumn - getting to see school friends again, catching up, planning shenanigans...

But those days were long gone, and too many of those old friends were gone now also. Aileen suddenly felt rather melancholy. She sighed, looking out the window. After a day of gentle rain, the clouds had finally cleared, and now the moon was shining brightly over the grounds, making the world shimmer in its light.

Aileen's mind wandered to a similarly wet fall day, many years ago, when a crazy young man had convinced her to go for a stroll with him in the pouring rain. They'd had only one umbrella for the two of them, but that had been the point. That afternoon, as they huddled together, getting soaking wet and laughing more than Aileen ever had in her life, she had begun to fall in love...

Aileen smiled at the memory, thankful for it. But such thoughts were always bittersweet for her, and tonight she was feeling especially restless. She decided it was time to head back to her own rooms. The library was already closed, anyway, though Madam Pince told her she was free to stay as long as she liked, even after everyone else had gone.

Aileen began the trek back to her room. As she walked through the dark, deserted halls, an old familiar heartache crept up. She'd been fighting it off all day, but now, it began to slowly wrap itself around her heart, threatening to squeeze until Aileen forgot what happiness was like. A long time had passed since her world had been shattered, and Aileen had healed, better than she'd thought possible. But some days, the old scars still hurt.

But she had been through this plenty of times before, and she knew she'd be all right – she just had to keep on going and not allow herself to wallow in self-pity. She was about halfway back to her rooms, when a tall, dark figure swooped around a corner and nearly knocked off her feet. Regaining her balance, she heard a low, dangerously silky voice.

"Isn't it a bit late to be wandering the halls, Miss Klein?"

"Oh, don't you worry," Aileen responded condescendingly. "It's definitely not too late for me, _Mr. _Snape." She'd call him "professor" just as soon as he decided to extend the courtesy to her. Taking a step forward, she blocked his path. "You certainly seem to be in a rush. Meeting someone?"

Aileen only now realized that she hadn't run into the potions master all day. She didn't really feel like prolonging their little meeting, but knew that Snape had to practice if he was to get better at American-style occlumency. Aileen decided to use the method that, in her experience, was the quickest way of making him storm off in a frustrated huff. Yes, she'd use her powers to anticipate his insults....

.........................................................

Severus had been on his way to find Filch. He had a sneaking suspicion that Quirrell was up to no good, and wanted to be sure the caretaker would let him know right away if people were snooping around where they ought not. As the dark-robed teacher swept through the halls, his thoughts were occupied with how far he would let Filch in on his suspicions.

Rounding a corner, Severus ran right into a slender, yet solid witch, who was evidently out for an evening stroll.

With a sinking feeling, Severus realized it was the American. He was not as lucky today as he thought he'd been, and after a few un-pleasantries, it became clear she was not going to let him be about his business without a fight. She asked some smart-alack question, and the man began racking his brain for a put-down that would actually shut her up for once.

But poor Severus was finding concentration difficult. Those eyes – one minute they were dark and somber and seemed more tired than simply a long day ought to make them, the next they were flashing with dangerous merriment, the next...was that surprise that just flashed across her face? He _dared _not look at her lips...

"Why, as a matter of fact," he said, buying time, "I was just off to a meeting with the headmaster. While I'm there, I think I will mention how certain naive members of the staff do not seem to realize how...dangerous the Hogwarts can be at night." He could tell she was reading his mind – he'd heard the tiny pop in the back of his mind which he had quickly learned to dread – but he didn't know which of his thoughts she could hear. Did she know he was trying to think of insults? Or that (his stomach twisted at the possibility) being near her was beginning to make him feel dizzy?

"Riiight," Aileen drawled, "Off to see Dumbledore. Running late?" She took another step towards him, and wet her lips. There was a reckless, daring look in the woman's eyes, but Severus didn't notice. He'd seen the movement of her mouth, and had yet to pull his eyes away from her lips. She was very close. Could she hear that small, insistent whisper in the back of his mind, telling him to -

Before Aileen knew what was happening, Severus was kissing her. He'd pinned her between the cool stone wall and the heat of his body, and for a few blessed moments, there was no past, no future, nothing at all, except for his hungry lips on hers. As they clung to each other, Aileen could feel his hands along her back, urgently pulling her closer. Her mind went fuzzy.

It had been a long time, too long, perhaps, since Aileen Klein had been kissed at all. And she certainly had never been kissed like this. No, all the times she'd been kissed, it had been sweet and golden and made her feel like she were floating...There was never this desperate, possessive, need that seemed to possess her, and Severus too. Even so, Aileen couldn't help pretending, just a little bit, that it was 11 years ago, and in her mind's eye she saw her beloved...

At that moment, she very distinctly heard Severus murmur a name. And it wasn't hers.

Something connected in Aileen's mind. She immediately went stiff, and pulled away. Severus looked down, into a moonlit face which had understanding, anger, and sorrow written all over it. Those arresting blue eyes of hers were now bright with tears.

"Lily." It wasn't a question.

Severus took a step back in surprise. The next moment, Aileen was brushing past him, fleeing.

His eyes narrowed, realizing what must have happened. Despite her brisk pace, the tall man was striding next to her in an instant.

"You have some nerve, you know that? Baiting me into behaving like a – a fool! And now you're actually upset over my own thoughts, when you SHOULDN'T HAVE BEEN READING MY MIND IN THE FIRST PLACE!"

Aileen had stopped reading his mind the moment he kissed her. She'd explain later, but right now, she just wanted to get away, fast, and have a good cry. She broke into a run.

Filled with rage, Severus began throwing curses. Of course, he knew he couldn't actually harm her, but he had to do _something. _As Aileen fled, a suit of armor clattered to the ground, hit by a blast from Severus' wand.

Fully knowing he'd be able to reverse the damage, but at the same time not really thinking at all, he pointed his wand straight at the woman's back.

"SECTUMSEMPRA!"

That did it. In a flash, as the curse flew toward her, Aileen ducked into a small ball and a sphere of pale blue light exploded around her. The curse careened off, hitting a second unfortunate suit of armor. When she stood, a shocked Severus realized that the woman had parried his attack _without a wand_.

"I was _not _reading your mind!" Aileen hollered, making a quick, jabbing motion with her open palm. Severus was knocked backward, hit by a stunning spell.

Continuing to stalk towards him, she wrathfully thrust her hand forward again, freezing Severus in a full body-bind. The move wasn't really necessary. The shocked teacher was in no condition to cast any more spells, much less formulate a coherent sentence. Who did magic like this without a wand?

"It's called spontaneous neurophisological response," Aileen furiously hissed the explanation for her sudden knowledge of 'Lily'. "And if you had been doing your homework, you'd know that sometimes it happens, when two people -" she paused, evidently rather embarrassed, "– when they do what we did. In fact, if your mouth hadn't been so _obviously _otherwise occupied, I would have sworn that you were speaking out loud. Believe me, what was going on in _your_ mind was the last thing I was thinking of."

She had yet to pull her own wand, but as she stretched out her hand, the one that Severus had lost shot from where it lay, into her waiting palm. As she approached, her expression remained fierce, though her shoulders had begun to droop a bit.

"I wasn't upset that you were thinking of whoever Lily is. I was upset...because while you were busy thinking of 'Lily,' I was just as busy, pretending _you_ were someone else, too..." She gave a flick of Severus' wand, and he regained the ability to move.

She lowered her eyes. "...For fairness' sake, the person _I _was thinking of, he was named Noah, and he's dead. He was killed by the man everyone here calls Lord Voldemort."

The statement was simple, quiet. Standing there, with her head hanging sadly, the usually obnoxiously cheerful teacher looked rather like a wilted flower.

After a moment, Aileen looked up and saw the man looking at her with an odd expression – like there was something about her he hadn't noticed before. Beginning to feel awkward under his stare, she handed him back his wand.

"Now," she said, looking away, "I am going to go to bed, and I intend to try and forget the last 15 minutes ever happened. Good night, then." Sensing he wouldn't try to curse her again, the woman turned and started briskly down the hall.

...................................................................................

As the short, quick footsteps of the muggle studies professor faded, Severus was left standing in the corridor, processing what had just happened.

At first, he'd been certain that Aileen had not only lured him into an absolutely compromising moment, but that she'd used it to discover something no other soul in the world knew, except Dumbledore. The thought of it had made him absolutely livid. But now that he was cooling off, he begrudgingly admitted to himself that something completely different had happened tonight, though he still didn't know what.

While it was true that right before he kissed her, Severus had recognized the subtle inner dialogue that was always present when Aileen read his mind. But all inner verbalization had ceased the moment his lips reached hers. In fact, there was no thinking involved at all. At least for a few moments. Eventually, he'd started picturing Lily in his arms, imagining her hair, her eyes, what it would have been like to hold her...and yes, what it would have been like to whisper her name. But he hadn't actually done that. He wouldn't have been that stupid. Not even then. Besides, as Miss Klein so bluntly stated, his mouth had been otherwise engaged at the moment.

Severus cringed, then blushed as the truth of what they'd done sunk in. He mentally added it to the list of things which no one must ever find out about, ever. What on earth had gotten into him? He didn't know how he'd be able to look the woman in the face after tonight. And yet, somehow...

He knew he'd have to keep an eye on her. The woman was clearly powerful and most likely dangerous, performing all that wandless magic.

Pushing the myriad of other, more disconcerting, thoughts and feelings out of his mind, Severus turned back toward his rooms. He was going to look up if spontaneous neuro-whatever-she-called-it really existed. Filch could wait.


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

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**

When Aileen arrived for her bi-weekly meeting with Professor Dumbledore, the headmaster was at his desk, writing a quick note. When he finished, he gave a flick of his wand, and the letter folded itself into paper airplane and zoomed out of the office towards its proper recipient. Turning to Aileen, he smiled.

"Ah, Professor Klein. How are you today? Professor Sprout told me all about your inventive method of pruning shrivelfigs – very impressive indeed. Anything to report today?"

And with that, the two commenced their routine. She would report any news or questions that she'd received from her contact in America, and he would provide her with any information he felt the U.S. government ought to know.

They were just finishing up, when there was a knock on the door.

"Perfect timing," Dumbledore cheerfully remarked. "Enter!"

The door swung open, and in stepped Severus Snape. When he saw who Dumbledore had been meeting with, he came to an abrupt halt.

"Do come in, Severus, and sit down. There is something I would like to discuss with the both of you."

Aileen fought down a feeling of panic. She and the potions master had managed to go nearly a week without acknowledging the other's existence. But now Dumbledore was wearing a merry, slightly wicked expression that suggested this meeting was about to take a rather uncomfortable turn.

Snape sat down stiffly in the chair next to Aileen. They did not look at each other.

"It has come to my attention," Dumbledore began, "that two of my professors seem to have had a late-night dueling session." He raised an eyebrow at Aileen, who was looking quite indignant. "Am I incorrect?"

"Well if by dueling, you mean throwing unforgivable curses at someone while their back is turned, I guess you could say you got it right..."

It was Severus' turn to look indignant. "She is lying. I did no such thing."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Aileen spat. "You're saying you _didn't _throw a curse that would have caused me to bleed out in minutes? Because as I was walking away from you, I heard you shout something that sounded an awful lot like sectumsempra."

"Severus! Is this true?"

"I – She –" Snape sputtered. "I was provoked!"

Dumbledore gave him a severe look, and turned back to Aileen. "Explain what happened."

This is exactly what Aileen had been hoping that she wouldn't have to do. She took a deep breath. "A few nights ago, I ran into Professor Snape while on my way to my rooms. He inadvertently disclosed some very personal information to me, and mistakenly believed that I had invaded his mind. Then he tried to kill me."

An exasperated noise came from the man sitting to Aileen's left.

"I will hear from you soon enough, Severus. Aileen, are you are certain he was trying to kill you? Why didn't his spell land?"

"I conjured a shield charm to deflect it. Then I incapacitated my attacker so that he wouldn't try to kill me again." She shot her coworker a condemning glare.

"You bested Severus?" Despite the seriousness of the situation, Dumbledore seemed rather amused that his potions teacher had thrown a curse at an unsuspecting adversary, yet still had managed to lose the fight.

"She didn't use her wand!" Severus interjected. "Clearly, she is capable of very powerful, probably dark magic. And as I told you earlier sir, there's no way of knowing whose mind she's reading or who she's sharing her information with. How can you be sure that Miss Klein – "

"_Professor_ Klein, Severus."

"Professor Klein, then, is not a threat to the safety of Hogwarts students?"

"I would counter that," Aileen responded, "by asking if Hogwarts is any safer with a volatile teacher who throws unforgivable curses at the drop of a hat?"

"The drop of a hat?" Severus looked livid. "That woman found out about – " he leaned forward and lowered his voice to a hiss. "– about Lily!"

"Now, now, calm down, everyone." Dumbledore still seemed rather amused. "First I have to correct you on a small point, Professor Klein. Although it is highly illegal in America, and probably rightly so, sectumsempra is not an unforgivable curse here in Britain."

Both teachers' jaws dropped.

"It is?" Severus looked just a little bit proud.

"It _isn't_?"Aileen looked horrified.

Dumbledore ignored both reactions and continued. "Professor Klein, you said that Professor Snape inadvertently disclosed some deeply personal information to you. Without any effort on your part? How is this possible?"

"It's called spontaneous neurophisiological response, or SNR" Aileen explained. "Certain situations can cause one or both people involved to spontaneously disclose to the other what they are thinking."

"SNR..." Dumbledore first gave Severus, then Aileen a penetrating stare. Severus would not meet the headmaster's eye, but Aileen did, and she immediately realized that Dumbledore was quite familiar with the theory behind American legimency, even if he did not practice it himself. "And what sort of situation would cause this phenomenon?" he asked.

Fighting down the blush that was creeping into her cheeks, Aileen answered, "SNR happens when a standard connection is interrupted by a significant emotional event," she squirmed. "Most commonly when two people kiss, though it's been known to happen during duels." By the time she finished, Aileen wasn't meeting the headmaster's gaze, either.

"And in this case?"

Sometimes, Aileen was astounded by the headmaster's insight. She sat up a little straighter, collecting her dignity. She shot disdainful glance in Snape's direction before meeting the headmaster's eyes.

"My behavior a few nights ago was incredibly unprofessional, sir, and that's all I have to say about that."

Dumbledore turned his attention to Severus. "Is there anything you would like to add?"

"Only that there's no way of being certain of her truthfulness. She says that I'm the one sharing things about myself. Does that sound like something I would do?"

Dumbledore shrugged. Severus had made a valid point.

"Besides the episode in question," The headmaster queried," Has Aileen ever indicated to you that she's found anything out about you more personal than the last time you changed your socks?"

Severus scowled "No," he answered.

"Was there anything inaccurate about her account of the events of last Monday?"

"No."

"You have been reading about American style legimency, and I'm sure you've looked up spontaneous neruophisiological response by now. Were circumstances such that such a phenomenon could have occurred?

Severus glared at the headmaster. "Yes," he admitted in a choked voice. "But she could have been performing regular legimency, as well. Do you not find it unsettling that she might be reading your mind this very moment?"

"Aileen," the headmaster turned toward the other teacher. "Have you ever read my mind?"

"Never."

"Are you reading it right now?"

"Absolutely not."

"Do you ever plan to?"

"Not without your permission, sir."

Dumbledore smiled. "Excellent. Are you satisfied, Severus?

Professor Snape did not even bother replying to that.

"Aileen, you will use a wand when you are dueling from now on, and you will also refrain from dueling in places where there are priceless works of art hanging on the walls. Severus, you will not perform the sectumsempra curse while your are still employed by Hogwarts. Do you both understand?"

Severus and Aileen each gave a short nod, and the muggle studies professor moved to get up, thinking herself dismissed.

"One last thing, Aileen. Severus has been neglecting his responsibility to teach you potions. To make up for lost time, you will meet with him twice a week, on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, the hour before dinner. That is all."

"Sir!" She protested. "I cannot continue to work here if I'm to be forced to interact with that man on a regular basis."

Severus' face suggested that the feeling was mutual.

"Professor Klein, you know exactly why you are here, and I'm fully confident that you will find a way to cope with the demands of your employment," Dumbledore's tone suggested that any further argument would be foolishness incarnate. Aileen met the headmaster's benign gaze with a rather fierce one of her own.

"All right," she said resignedly. "See you Tuesday, Severus."

And with that, she squared her shoulders and swept from the office.


	9. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

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**Come Tuesday, Aileen found herself reluctantly making her way towards the Potions classroom. For the past few days, Aileen had spent her free time brainstorming ways to get out of the upcoming lesson, but in the end, there was nothing to be done. Dumbledore had spoken. The poor woman resigned herself to the daunting task of making it through Tuesday and Thursday afternoons without giving the headmaster another excuse to fire her.

She also spent plenty of mental energy trying hard _not _to think of all the ways the approaching session could turn into the most uncomfortable hour of her life.

As she descended toward the dungeons, the air got noticeably cooler. Aileen made a mental note to bring a sweater along next time. When she neared the classroom, a group of 4th year Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors were exiting. They looked visibly relieved that class was over. A couple of her students spotted her and came over to say hello.

"Professor Klein! What are you doing here?"

Aileen flashed a smile, then contorted her face into a ridiculously clueless expression. "No idea – Professor Dumbledore sent me." _Better to keep it to myself that I know less about potions than these kids do_, she thought to herself. The statement was technically true, anyway. She had no idea what horrors awaited her on the other side of that classroom door.

"Can't say we envy you, Professor," one boy piped up. "Poor Anabel over here just melted her cauldron, so now Snape's in a right foul mood for you."

"Well thank you very much for that, Miss Hutchins," she laughed, addressing the rather sheepish-looking Hufflepuff. "I was just pondering how disturbing it would be if this little errand I'm on actually turned out to be pleasant. Seems I needn't have worried." With a twinkle in her eye, she bade the group good day. ("And don't forget about that Basketball essay – due Monday!")

Once she was no longer facing the students, Aileen indulged in a nervous gulp and a brief expression of dread. Then, before entering the classroom, she took a deep breath and smoothed her features into the epitome of serenity.

At the front of the room was Severus Snape, sitting in the midst of what had to be the dreariest work space Aileen had ever seen. Even though the afternoon was bright, the dungeon was so dim it had to be lit by torches. And despite the torches, the room was downright cold.

The potions professor was concentrating on his grading in a way which suggested that he was pointedly ignoring her. No matter. If Snape was going to ignore her during their sessions, _he _could explain to the headmaster why his newest employee still knew nothing about potions. Besides, Aileen was rather fascinated by the macabre contents of the room. She could have kept herself occupied indefinitely, studying the myriad of slimy dead things and ominous-looking books which lined the walls.

After a few minutes, Aileen heard the sound of rustling of paper coming from the desk at the front of the room. Turning, she saw that Snape was looking at her as if she were a household pest that he wasn't particularly looking forward to dealing with.

"It is my understanding," he began, "that you came to this school hopelessly ignorant of any potions knowledge whatsoever. Is that accurate?"

"It is." Aileen said it with a slight smirk. She knew better than to be embarrassed about not knowing something she had never had a reason to know in the first place.

"Then we'll start with something mind-numbingly elementary." He reached for an old textbook and flipped it open to the very first page. "The Boil-curing potion, simple enough even for you, if you know your ingredients. Do have a care though, because if you screw it up, it turns to poison. You will take a draught once you have finished, and if you don't keel over, you'll know you prepared it properly."

Apparently that was all the instruction he was going to provide. He held the book out to Aileen in a bored way. She took it, and got to work, determined not to speak to him until she was finished.

The instructions were simple enough, and despite the fact that the nasty man had initially ignored her when she entered, it became evident that he had_, _in fact, prepared for her arrival. Aileen found a cauldron, and all the needed ingredients sitting out on a desk towards the front of the room. There was also a small, oddly-shaped stone sitting out, but she couldn't figure out what it was for.

Aileen took her time and meticulously followed the textbook instructions. Everything seemed in order, and when she finished, she felt quite proud of herself for not only flawlessly executing the potion in less than 15 minutes, but for doing it without any help from her misanthropic tutor.

Seeing that she had finished, Snape conjured a small vial for Aileen's brew. He held it out for her to try, all the while wearing a curious expression.

She took the vial, gave it one last look, to make sure it was the clear lilac color it was supposed to be, and downed the draught without hesitation. For a moment, she happily thought she'd be done early for the day. But then her stomach gave a terrific lurch and she felt her throat begin to tighten.

She collapsed on the floor. Even before Aileen fully realized what was going on, Severus, who did not seem particularly distressed at the sudden turn of events, had shoved the odd, tiny stone into her mouth.

Almost immediately after swallowing, poor Aileen emptied the contents of her stomach in an impressive display of projectile vomit.

Once Aileen's stomach finally stopped heaving, there was a moment where neither of them moved. The woman really was a pitiful sight – collapsed pathetically on the dungeon floor in a pool of her own vomit, she seemed rather dazed at first, though once it sank in that she had just very nearly poisoned herself to death, her expression switched to a mix of shock, horror, and disgust.

Soon came the realization that if she didn't do something quickly about the disgusting mess she had just made, she would probably retch again. Still on the floor, the woman feebly reached for her wand, but Snape was one step ahead of her. A wave of his wand, and all that was left of Aileen's little incident was a foul taste in her mouth and a set of rather sore stomach muscles. Aileen looked up to see her colleague wearing a smirk that was quickly earning him a place in Aileen's heart as one of her least favorite people on the planet.

-------

Of course, except for the fact that the American was a particularly revolting vomiter, Severus was completely unsurprised by the events of the past few moments. In fact, the lesson was going exactly as he had expected it to.

He smugly moved to help the woman off the floor, inwardly preparing to give an especially withering rendition of the "there is no substitute for knowing your ingredients" speech that all beginners got.

But Aileen refused to give him the satisfaction. Summoning all the dignity she could muster, she pulled herself to her feet unaided and, without so much as a glance at the potions master, began pouring over the recipe, trying to decipher where she when wrong.

Severus stepped back, observing her. When it became apparent that the woman was going to actually try brewing the potion again, Severus opened his mouth to point out that the recipe was obviously incorrect. He didn't want to have to waste another expensive bezoar on her ineptitude...

But on second thought, why not let her try again....and again...the cost of a few more bezoars was well worth watching Miss Klein repeatedly make a fool of herself...

-------

Twenty minutes later, and another 20 minutes after that, Aileen found herself in the exact same position she had ended up in the first time she tried to brew that infuriating potion. Near tears by now, the woman slowly pulled herself to her feet yet again. Leaning against the table, she briefly rested her head on her hands before studying the recipe again.

"Miss Klein," came a bored voice from the front of the room, "I would advise that you wait to try again until Thursday. You are looking rather...dehydrated, and I do not want to waste more of my time escorting you to the hospital wing."

Aileen ignored him. There was still enough time for one more try, even if she was starting to feel a little woozy. Studying the recipe again, she very carefully went through the steps, verifying that she had in fact performed each one exactly as directed.

It just didn't make any sense. She was certain she had not made any mistakes in preparing the potion...unless there was something wrong with the recipe itself...

Suddenly everything was clear. She'd been set up. Aileen's head snapped up and her eyes narrowed in cold fury at the man working at the front of the room. "You."

Snape met her savage countenance with a placidly inquisitive one of his own.

"This recipe is garbage, and you _knew _it!" Aileen started towards the slightly smirking Snape, and pulled her wand. She was unsure of what she was about to do, but was fairly certain it involved causing sufficient pain to wipe that infuriating look off his face.

Unfortunately, all that throwing up really had left her with a rather serious case of dehydration. She only got a few steps before everything went fuzzy, and her legs began to behave like jelly.

She knew she was going down. The world started tilting oddly to one side, and Aileen saw the dark figure of the potions professor moving forward in an apparent attempt to catch her. She vaguely wondered to herself if he'd make it in time, and everything went black.


	10. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

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When Aileen awoke, it was in the hospital wing, and Madame Pomfrey fussing over her.

She blinked away the fuzziness and pulled herself into more of a sitting position. "What happened?" She asked.

"You poisoned yourself." The nurse huffed. "Three times. That's what happened. And then you tried to do it again, but thankfully you fainted first. Now drink this re-hydrating potion."

Aileen took a sip of a deep-blue concoction which, besides the color, was remarkably similar to plain old water.

"That horrible man tampered with the recipe! And he just let me keep on trying. He must have some sort of sick fascination with people throwing up."

Madam Pomfrey shook her head knowingly. "I'm almost 100 percent he didn't. It was the boil cure potion, wasn't it?"

Aileen looked at the older woman in surprise. "How did you know?"

"Professor Klein, every year I have to treat the poor first year who had the misfortune of following the directions perfectly, only to find out that the book calls for four times the necessary amount of belladonna extract. The brew comes out _looking _as if it had been prepared properly, but so much belladonna makes it lethal. The textbook is full of little errors like that, it was designed that way."

The recovering woman blinked a few more times. "I'm sorry, I must still be groggy. I thought I heard you say that Professor Snape uses a textbook that's intentionally full of errors."

"Well, nobody knows for sure if the mistakes were originally intentional or not. But the book's been that way since before _I _attended school. The publishers insist that the 'variations' in the recipes are intended to cut down on students blindly following directions, and to promote learning of the theory behind potion brewi ng. I personally think they are simply too lazy to fix the errors."

"Well that's just sadistic, if you ask me." Aileen looked truly horrified. "Snape _would _use such a book."

The older witch smiled. "Oh, I gave Severus quite the talking-to when he brought you in. But it was only half his fault. That textbook is the only beginners' potions book there is. And _you_, my dear, should have known better than to keep on trying to re-brew that poisonous potion."

Aileen glowered in response.

Madame Pomfrey calmly refilled the empty glass with re-hydrating potion, and motioned for her patient to drink some more. The younger woman _was_ already feeling much better, though she was still mad as ever at Snape.

"I can't _believe _I threw up _three _times! Do you have any idea how much I _hate _puking?" Aileen made a disgusted face. "And he got me to do it three times. Unbelievable." She sank into a brooding silence, a far-away look on her face.

"Aileen." Pomfrey gently called the younger woman's attention back to the hospital wing. "The two of you are going to have to reach some sort of understanding – because if you don't, every one of your lessons will end with you waking up in here."

Aileen didn't respond at first. Deep down, she knew the woman was right, but she wasn't ready to admit it. She gave Pomfrey a wry look. "Not if I hex him first."

The nurse rolled her eyes, then motioned to a covered tray next to the bed. "One more glass of the re-hydrating potion, and you should be right as rain. You've missed dinner, though. A tray has been sent up. Eat up, drink up, and you're free to go."

With a final nod, Madame Pomfrey took her leave, and Aileen was left to stew in her own thoughts.


End file.
